Tigers rally, defeat Doniphan in OT

~ Central overcame a late deficit and won 85-79.

Central boys basketball coach Derek McCord expected a roller-coaster ride this season from a team relying on juniors and sophomores.

The Tigers took a wild ride on Tuesday night, but the finish couldn't have been better.

Central rallied from eight points down in the closing minutes of regulation and went on to post an 85-79 overtime victory at home against Doniphan, which lost for only the second time this season.

"We knew that playing as many sophomores as we do that it was going to be a roller-coaster ride this year," McCord said. "We've got to try to find that consistency. Tonight, we really played as a team.

"I think this hopefully is something we can build off. We challenged our kids in the pregame to play hard, play smart and play together. Tonight I thought we did all three of those."

Junior forward Darnell Wilks led the Tigers with 34 points. He scored 18 of Central's 21 points in the fourth quarter, including four consecutive free throws as part of a six-point possession that included the fifth foul for 6-foot-10 Doniphan senior Matt Rogers and an ensuing technical foul.

After the free throws, Jared Thomas made a layin with 43 seconds left to tie the game at 73-73, which was the final score after regulation.

Central took control in overtime with a seven-point spree that included a three-point play from sophomore guard Jeremy Kimble and an emphatic dunk from Wilks.

"Darnell took the game over in the fourth quarter," McCord said. "He made a couple of big 3-point shots. He came through big at the free throw line. He showed he's a dual-threat player -- he got it done on the inside and the outside as well.

"I saw the look in his eye that he was determined tonight."

Wilks' highlight plays also included a dunk in the third period followed by a blocked shot against Rogers on the ensuing possession. He made another play later in the period where he grabbed a defensive rebound, went coast to coast for a basket and drew a foul. In the closing minutes of regulation, he drove to the basket and made a shot over Rogers to pull Central within six.

The Tigers (10-7) found themselves trailing 23-11 after one period, but used the first 4 minutes of the second half to establish themselves. Kimble had six of his 17 points in the stretch.

Kimble also finished the game with nine rebounds.

"He played hard every possession," McCord said.

Central ended up with a 48-33 edge on the boards, as Wilks had 14 and senior David Deisher had 10.

Deisher added 10 points and five blocked shots. Thomas had 11 points, including a 3-pointer at the first half buzzer that gave Central a 36-34 halftime lead.

The Tigers, who had lost to Doniphan (16-2, ranked No. 3 in the Class 3 state poll) at the Farmington Invitational, made 10 turnovers in the game after committing 24 in the previous meeting.

"The biggest adjustment we made was attacking their pressure defense," McCord said. "We took advantage of their press and turned it into easy layups."

Charles Wilson led Doniphan with 23 points, including three 3-pointers. Jason Switzer scored 15, Rogers finished with 14 and Adam Carpenter had 13.

Doniphan made eight of 19 3-pointers, but the Dons committed 26 fouls to Central's 17 and had three players foul out.

CENTRAL 85, DONIPHAN 79

Doniphan 23 11 23 16 6 -- 79

Central 11 25 16 21 12 -- 85

DONIPHAN (79) -- Tyler Collins 5, Philip O'Neill 2, Charles Wilson 23, Adam Carpenter 13, Chandler Wilson 3, Matt Rogers 14, Lance Majors 4, Jason Switzer 15. FG 29, FT 13-19, F 26 (3-pointers: Charles Wilson 3, Carpenter 3, Chandler Wilson 1, Switzer 1. Fouled out: O'Neill, Chandler Wilson, Rogers)

CENTRAL (85) -- Adrian Cox 6, Jared Thomas 11, Darnell Wilks 34, Jeremy Kimble 17, Garrett Ozbun 2, David Deisher 10, Derek Walker 1, John Lockridge 4. FG 29, FT 24-38, F 17 (3-pointers: Wilks 2, Thomas 1. Fouled out: none)